


Things You Said...

by CourtneyCourtney, daddygrandpaandthebeaver (CourtneyCourtney)



Category: Bob's Burgers (Cartoon)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Ficlet Collection, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27581537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourtneyCourtney/pseuds/CourtneyCourtney, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourtneyCourtney/pseuds/daddygrandpaandthebeaver
Summary: A collection ofBob's Burgersficlets based on "things you said..." prompts
Relationships: Bob Belcher/Linda Belcher, Gene Belcher/Alex Papasian, Tina Belcher/Becky Krespe, Tina Belcher/Zeke (Bob's Burgers)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 27





	1. On Top of the World (Bob/Linda)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First posted [on October 20, 2020](https://daddygrandpaandthebeaver.tumblr.com/post/632553427759693824/u-for-bob-and-linda-belcher-please)
> 
> MaryPSue requested "things you said when we were on top of the world." :D
> 
> Why do these crazy kids have a 1.5-year-old on a Ferris Wheel when that's probably illegal? Because Wonder Wharf is anything but worried about what is/isn't legal.

“So… We’re having a boy this time!”

“Oh, that’s… _Oh!_ My God.”

“Yeah!” Linda beams at him. The wind is ruffling her hair, a few strands getting tangled around the frames of her glasses, and the early afternoon sun reflecting off the water below them gives her an extra glow. Bob thinks she’s never looked more beautiful.

“That’s… good?” As for himself, Bob isn’t sure how he feels right now. Well. Besides a little nauseous. That’s probably because he has an armful of toddler and literally nothing underneath him. They’ve taken Tina on the Ferris wheel a few times before, but it’s never any less nerve-wracking to think about swinging in the air with a few metal safety bars protecting him and his baby from plummeting to their deaths. At least Linda is controlling her enthusiasm enough that their cart isn’t swinging like it does sometimes when she gets worked up.

Bob grins back at his wife and clears his throat. “So, what did you have… I mean, did you want to talk names, or…”

Linda’s smile actually dims a little. “Yeah. About that.” _Uh-oh. Not a great tone to set for something she’s usually all gung-ho about_.

Bob knows he and Linda don’t really have their hearts set on anything yet. They have lists, sure, but Bob was kind of maybe hoping for another girl, mostly to avoid having this conversation. Still, since they’re stopped on the ride and there’s no getting off, there’s also no avoiding it right now. Best to just rip off the bandage and –

“Not Bob,” they both say at the same time.

Bob blinks back at his wife. “Wait, really?”

Linda sags against him in relief, their cart swaying a little along with her. “Oh thank God. I’m sorry, Bobby. I know the name runs in your family, but – “

“No!” Bob rushes to cut off her apology. “I mean, it does, yes, but I don’t want it to anymore.” He glances down at Tina, idly wondering what kind of sister she’ll become, what growing up with a sister would have been like. “I don’t think Baby Boy Belcher should be Robert the Third or whatever. It’s just…” _Too much pressure_ , he thinks, but he’s done enough talking for now. He can’t make the words come out.

“I know,” Linda replies, because she does. “It’s not _him_ , you know? This baby’s a Bob-and-Linda Belcher original. He’s got his own beat to march to. I can feel it! Besides, it’s not like I need another Bob when the one I already have is perfect.”

“Lin…” Bob wishes he could close the gap between them. He will as soon as they’re back on solid ground. Until then, he’ll have to find more words. “I really want to kiss you right now, but we’re kind of, uh.”

The Ferris wheel jolts a little as if to emphasize his point, their cart going down and forward. Bob fights the urge to throw an arm across Linda and instead clutches Tina tighter.

Linda grimaces. “Yeah.”

“Wow, should it be doing that?” Bob asks, craning his neck to look down as safely as he can.

“Eh, it’s fine,” Linda says, wrapping her arms around him and Tina. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”


	2. There’s Somethin’ About You (I just love how they doubt you) (Tina/Zeke)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First posted [on November 3, 2020](https://daddygrandpaandthebeaver.tumblr.com/post/633822332044115968/ficlet-theres-somethin-about-you-i-just-love)
> 
> I gave myself the prompt "things you said at the kitchen table." Behold, the “Mistaken for Not Dating” trope!
> 
> Title from The Regrette's "I Dare You"

“Tina, come on. You can stop it now. It’s just us. Mom and Dad went to bed like an hour ago.”

It was actually fifteen minutes ago, but Louise is gonna throw herself off the fire escape if Tina doesn’t quit playing this stupid game. It was funny at first, when she and Zeke announced that they were dating. Mom and Dad were so busy being happy and supportive of their Teeny Tina that it seemed to have slipped their notice that Dad was waffling about hiring Zeke at the restaurant not three hours earlier. It had been this whole thing, how much Dad liked the guy and liked how much he wanted to work there but also how Zeke seemed kind of irresponsible, kind of flaky even after all these years.

It was hilarious watching her sister waltz into Bob’s Burgers with Zeke on her arm, to see them pretending to give each other these nervous looks before she told their parents that she and Zeke were ‘an item’ now (Mom’s words, not Louise’s). That after years of ignoring their mutual passion, they couldn’t deny their attraction any longer (Zeke’s words, not Louise’s (and super gross ones, at that)).

Now it’s annoying, though. Their parents are gone, and who knows where Gene is, but Tina doesn’t have to keep lying when it’s just her and Louise still knocking around in the kitchen.

Tina finishes taking the world’s longest drink of coffee, a drink she started around the time Louise started needling her. She sets her mug down on the kitchen table, then frowns at Louise. Louise fights the urge to rock her chair back on two legs. That’s just inviting Gene to push her over when he makes his grand reappearance.

“It’s not a joke, Louise,” Tina says, knocking Louise out of one imagined annoyance and back into another real one. “Zeke and I are really dating.”

The thing is, her sister looks dead serious, but she _can’t be_. Tina is twenty; she’s way too old to be playing mind games like this. She’s practically over the hill (dating drama-wise, anyway).

But Tina doesn’t like Zeke. She’s never liked Zeke. For as long as Louise can remember, it was, “Jimmy Jr… _Zeke_.” It was funny. Louise has nothing against Zeke, but Tina always did. Tina doesn’t like Zeke, but she likes love and romance and Doing The Right Thing. She’s above dating him, but she’s proven time and again that she’s _not_ above fake-dating someone to help them out. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

“No, you aren’t,” says Louise.

“ _Yes_ , we are,” Tina counters.

“But you don’t like him!” Louise throws her hands out on the table in front of her, a silent plea for Tina to be reasonable. “Not romantically, anyway!”

Tina shifts awkwardly in her seat. “Yes, I do,” she replies. “Things have changed a lot in the last five years. I just didn’t give him a chance to get to know me before then.”

“Before now,” says Louise.

“Yes,” says Tina.

“Before now, when Zeke _conveniently_ needed an in with our parents,” says Louise. “And you just _magically_ decided to give him a chance right now, at this very moment, despite never giving him the time of day _before now_.”

Tina’s frown deepens. “I’ve given Zeke the time of day before. Like that time at the Wharf when he ran by us, and he said, ‘What time is it?’ and I said, ‘It’s 7:40,’ and he said – ”

“Tina, no, Tina, _shhhhh._ ” Louise fights the urge to rub her temples. They don’t actually hurt; she’s just seen people do that a lot in movies when they get frustrated. “Just… tell me the truth, okay?”

Louise expects her sister to fold. She expects her to sigh and say “Okay…” or maybe even pull out a small, sneaky smile. She does _not_ expect Tina to start hyperventilating.

“Tina?” Louise gets partway out of her chair before Tina stops, gesturing wildly for Louise to sit back down. “Tina, what is it? You can tell me… Even if it’s bad?” She doesn’t mean for the last part to be a question, but she’s starting to get nervous. “I mean, yeah. Even if it’s bad. Because we’re sisters. Right?”

“Okay,” says Tina is a quivery voice. She blows out a breath then, looking down at her coffee mug before she looks back up at Louise. “Okay. The truth is… that… is that… Zeke and I have been secretly dating for the past six months.”

” _WHAT?”_


	3. The Loneliest Number (Tina)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave myself the prompt "things you said too quietly"
> 
> Title from Harry Nilsson's "One" (and I spent way too much time figuring out who originally wrote/sang that song)

"Mom, can we get..."

Tina stops in the hall, standing in the silence for a minute. It's _quiet_ quiet, like she's the only one at home. She probably is.

Tina swallows thickly, then winces. Stupid strep throat. She'd been napping on and off all day, too exhausted to even read or write in bed despite her best efforts. Her throat isn't as sore now as it was yesterday or this morning, but it still hurts.

She pads into the kitchen. Tina knows if she really wanted to, she could call down to the restaurant to talk to Mom or Dad. It's not that big of a deal, though. She was only going to ask if they could have chicken soup for supper. It sounded good when she woke up a few minutes ago, and she doesn't think they have any in the house.

There's a note on the table, Tina realizes after she's gotten herself a glass of water and checked the cabinets for soup cans. She peers down at the piece of paper that tells her Mom and Gene are out running errands while Dad and Louise hold down the fort and that Mom has the emergency cell phone if Tina thinks of anything she needs while they're gone, like more medicine or more blankets or something.

Tina sits down with her water. Typical.

It isn't any of their faults, really. Tina loves her parents, and she knows they love her. That makes it worse, maybe. The way they just connect more easily with Gene and Louise. The way it seems like Mom and Gene have loud, dramatic, theatrical love for each other. The way Dad and Louise snark at each other, rolling their eyes at everyone's antics. Tina has her moments, but overall, she can't quite bridge the gaps like her siblings. She just can't connect like them.

Which is fine, most of the time. Tina's inner life is pretty poppin'. She really does like sticking to her room best; she has everything she needs in there. And she knows her family will always support her. They’re all happy, and they make her happy, so that’s enough. She just wishes they understood her more.

She hears the door unlock and open downstairs. "Tina?" Mom calls up. "You awake, sweetie?"

"Yeah," Tina croaks, but she isn't sure her voice carries.

Linda enters the kitchen a few minutes later, arms full of grocery bags. Tina grabs one without thinking starts putting the stuff inside in the fridge.

"Oof, thank you, Tina Bean-a," Mom says, putting the rest of the bags in the middle of the table. When Tina shuts the fridge and turns around, she's standing right there.

"Stay put," Linda tells her before brushing Tina's bangs aside and laying a hand across her forehead. "Oh, you're still pretty hot, honey. Go sit back down, I'll finish putting stuff away myself."

"Okay," says Tina, wincing again.

Mom reaches into one of the bags on the table, clearly fishing for something. "Look at what I found for supper... " She eventually pulls free a metal can, twisting it around to show Tina the label. "Ta da! Tomato soup! Doesn't that sound good, Tina?"

Tina watches her for a minute. It's a stupid thing to get upset over, but she can't help the stab of disappointment at it being not quite what she wanted.

"Yeah, Mom," Tina says, the words scraping out of her throat. "That sounds great."


	4. Love Means Never Having to Be Your Own Hype Man (Alex/Gene)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First posted [on Jan. 25, 2021](https://daddygrandpaandthebeaver.tumblr.com/post/641320188194832384/i-dont-know-if-youre-still-doing-those-things)
> 
> Anonymous requested "things you said when we were on top of the world" but this time for Gene Belcher/Alex Papasian! I went literal last time I did this prompt, so I took it metaphorically here.

“Women! Children! Men! Babies! Enbies, nonbies, cis, and trans! Assorted clergy! Dogs! Mort! And all those in between! Presenting! My best friend and boyfriend _and_ , as of 11:55 this morning, future attendee of Baruch College in the fabulous city of New York, New York, Alex Papasian!”

“Hello everyone,” says Alex as Gene finally opens the door of the restaurant wide enough for him to enter.

“Hi, Gene’s friend,” Teddy replies.

“Alex, honey, congratulations!” says Mrs. Belcher as he and Gene go to sit at the far end of the counter. “That’s great!”

“What’s great?” Gene’s dad yells from the back.

“Alex got into…” Linda turns to frown at him. “Sorry, hon, what school did you say it was?”

“Baruch!” Gene answers for him.

Alex doesn’t mind the Belchers talking around him, honestly. It’s for the best since his face seems frozen into a dopey smile. It’s been stuck like that all day, ever since he got the email. His cheeks are starting to hurt, but he literally can’t stop. Hopefully he looks more chill than he feels.

He snaps out of his daze a little at the annoyed grumblings coming from the kitchen.

“Damn it,” Alex hears Bob mutter before the cook in question sticks his head through the order window. “Gene, can you go down to the walk-in and start counting the bun delivery we got today? I don’t know where your sister is, and I need to make sure we have all the buns we need for this weekend before Joel’s Rolls closes.”

“On it, Dad!” Gene yells back. They’d been holding hands under the counter, and Alex expects to be let go. Instead, Gene drags him up off of his seat and back into the kitchen.

Mr. Belcher does a double-take as they pass him. “Gene, Alex, please don’t go make out in the walk-in again,” he pleads.

“No promises, Mister Burger!” Alex yells back as they head down the stairs.

Counting and sorting out packages of hamburgers buns was hardly how Alex thought he’d be spending the afternoon of the day his whole life changed, but he can’t complain. He’s someplace quiet, and he has Gene for company. Gene and Gene’s songs specifically.

_“… but please don’t make me cry when I tell you we don’t serve any rye. No, we don’t serve any… rye.”_

“What, no song for _me_ yet?” Alex teases when his boyfriend is done holding the final note of _Lament for a Waiter After the Lunch Rush._

“Give me some time, man!” Gene replies. “I just found out a few hours ago!”

“Uh-huh,” says Alex, checking the bottom of his bag for mold before putting it with the good buns. “I’ve seen you do more in less time, though. Like the one about on-the-spot tater tots.”

Gene tosses a bag of buns into the pile so hard they bounce off and fly across the walk-in. “That was just about lunch!” he says. “You getting into your first-pick college is serious business. This is important! This is deserving of both pomp _and_ circumstance, not some off-the-cuff rhymes and a pre-recorded beat!”

Alex stops sorting buns to gawk at his boyfriend. “ _Wow_ , Gene. You care more about me than tater tots? I mean, I had kind of always hoped, but having the confirmation is… a lot.”

“Of course I do,” Gene replies.

“Huh,” says Alex.

Gene looks at Alex for a minute and then frowns. “Oh no. You’re starting to worry.”

“I am not,” says Alex.

“Yes, you are,” says Gene. “That was your ‘I’m grumpy you noticed’ voice. So what is it? What’s bothering you?”

Alex tosses aside the package of buns he’d been inspecting to put his chin in his hands. “It’s just a lot in general, you know? Like, now that I’m really thinking about it. It’s New York City! It’s so big! And I’m moving away from home! And _you_.”

“I’ll still be here,” Gene reassures him. Gene’s planning to take a gap year between high school and college, to live at home and find a music program he really feels is right for him. It’s very practical for him.

“I know,” Alex tells him. “And I think maybe that’s another reason I feel funny about going.”

Gene frowns again. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just…” Alex looks down at the buns by his knees. His reaches out to flick at the plastic wrapping. “I don’t know. It feels weird. You’re always more of a go-getter, someone who’s good at going out and doing stuff and chasing your dreams. It feels weird to have you supporting me and staying put for once. Like, it’s supposed to be you in New York! Achieving all your big music star prodigy ambitions!”

“And I will someday!” Gene agrees. “I’m not giving up on those. I just have to work on becoming a super huge popular songwriter in a different way right now. And maybe someday when I get a job in Hollywood, it’ll be your turn to support me again. We’re supposed to take turns, I think. That’s what my parents always do, anyway.”

“Huh,” says Alex. “I guess you’re right.”

“Hell yeah I am,” says Gene with a huge grin. “Besides, you know I’ll be visiting you every weekend up there anyway. I love the nightlife! I’ve _got to_ boogie on the disco ‘round.”

Alex laughs, then asks, “You promise?”

Gene’s forehead crinkles in confusion. “What, to visit you?”

“Yes,” says Alex, scooting across the freezer floor so he’s closer to Gene. He sticks out his hand. “Although I wouldn’t push you to admit anything that you’d want to keep a… _secret_.”

Gene smiles at him again as he takes Alex’s hand. “Buddy, the way I feel about you could never be a _secret_.”


	5. Your Lips, My Lips, Apocalypse (Zeke/Tina)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First posted [on Jan. 27, 2021](https://daddygrandpaandthebeaver.tumblr.com/post/641524050880004096/that-prompt-list-is-fun-how-about-things-you)
> 
> Anonymous requested "things you said after you kissed me” for Tina/Zeke.
> 
> Title from “Apocalypse” by Cigarettes After Sex (which is not G-rated, sorry)

“So, did the world end for you too?” Tina says when they finally part.

Zeke does a double-take. “Say what?”

Tina laughs nervously. It is kind of funny, seeing her like this when she’s usually so confident, but Zeke doesn’t laugh just in case she thinks he’s laughing at her instead of the situation.

“Um, because…” Tina starts before floundering. “You know what? Never mind. It’s stupid.”

“No, what is it?” Zeke asks, staring at her earnestly. “You know I like all kinds of stupid stuff. Just tell me!”

“Um.” Tina blinks back at him, then turns so they’re side-by-side. She grabs Zeke’s closest arm and puts it around her own shoulders. Zeke takes the hint and keeps it there as they go back to walking down the beach. They’ve been kicking around down by the shoreline for hours now, kissing and talking and just watching the silver light of the moon and the neon lights from Wonder Wharf dancing across the waves.

“It was, like, a joke,” Tina explains. “Remember when, um. When I thought the aliens were coming in Junior High and that the world was ending? And I kissed – ”

“You kissed me!” Zeke cuts in. He might have forgotten what made her do it, but no way did he forget that kiss. Four years ago, he was all up in his head, convincing himself he was just around to be Jimmy Jr.’s wingman, to support his best bro, because no way Tina would look at him twice, not like that, and then _BAM!_ Like getting hit by a bus. In the face. By a girl, a cute girl. Zeke had been on Cloud Nine the rest of that afternoon.

“Oh yeah!” Zeke says, giving her shoulders a squeeze. “That _is_ funny, girl!”

Tina relaxes a little bit in his arm. “Thanks.” She stops walking, and Zeke does too. They turn to look at the ocean, at the rolling, inky water stretching out into the night.

“Just out of curiosity,” Tina asks after a minute, “if the world really _was_ ending tonight, like in a couple of hours… What would you want to do?”

It’s a thinker. Zeke will give her that. He’s pretty sure there isn’t an afterlife, but he doesn’t want to put too much pressure on himself to make _every minute_ of _every day_ into something out-of-the-ordinary. Hell, life around here is pretty unusual to start with.

“I don’t know,” Zeke replies after racking his brains, trying to put together a typical day in his life. “I think today was pretty good.”

Tina turns her head to frown at him. “We spent the whole morning working at my parents’ restaurant, and then we got food and walked around the pier and went on a couple of rides.”

“Yeah, and it was awesome,” says Zeke, and he means it, one-hundred-percent.

Tina keeps frowning, though. “But we do that every weekend.”

Zeke shrugs. “So? It’s fun, isn’t it?” He wonders for a second if he’s said something wrong. Tina would tell him if she was having second thoughts about this, right? If she wanted to go somewhere else or do something else, or, or… _see_ somebody else? It would hurt, but Zeke would have to know.

“It is!” Tina agrees before he can get too worked up. She wraps an arm around his waist. “This is nice, and I love it. I just…” She glances over at him again, not quite frowning but clearly thinking something over. “You wouldn’t want to do something more exciting?”

Zeke thinks about stuff he always wanted to try before he died. Sky diving, bungee jumping, go-kart racing, being a rodeo clown maybe, just for one rodeo. He thinks and he thinks, and none of the stuff that could maybe possibly happen holds a candle to real life and just hanging out with the girl of his dreams.

“Only if you were there to do it with me, T-Bird,” Zeke says.

The smile he gets in return is prettier than all the stars in the sky.


	6. Same Old Lang Syne (Bob/Linda)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First posted [on Jan. 30, 2021](https://daddygrandpaandthebeaver.tumblr.com/post/641774185963732995/prompt-16-with-bob-and-linda-if-you-still-feel)
> 
> Anonymous requested "things you said with no space between us” for Bob/Linda.
> 
> Title from, uh, Dan Fogelberg
> 
>  **Warning** for alcohol/drunkenness (in a fun way, I promise)

“Linda,” Bob whispers against the back of his wife’s head. He’s standing behind her with his hands on her waist, like they’re slow dancing, except she’s backwards. Hey, that’s a good idea, dancing. They should go out dancing. Why did they go back home, anyway? It’s only 11:30. They didn’t have _that_ much to drink, right? Let’s see, there was one, two, three, five, seven… Wait, no. That isn’t math. That isn’t how numbers go. What was even in that last drink, anyway? Maybe it was six drinks, but like a _really strong_ six.

“Lin,” Bob tries again, then bursts out laughing at the feeling of her hair against his face. It tickles.

“What, Bobby?” Linda says back. It sounds like she’s trying not to laugh. Linda _should_ laugh. She has a great laugh.

“Linda, why are we home?” Bob asks. “We should… we should go out.”

“We _were_ out!” Linda reaches back with her left hand to pat the side of his head, then leaves her hand there. They sway together on the sidewalk.

“I know, but we should… we should go back,” says Bob. “We should go dance.”

Linda gasps. “Oh my God, we should!”

“We should, yes, thank you,” says Bob. He knew this was a great plan. It’s the perfect plan. They had stayed in the night before, celebrating New Year’s Eve with the kids, and that was fun and exhausting and Bob was maybe a little annoyed by the end of it, but it was fun staying in with his family to ring in the new year. But now it’s January 1st. Tina is at Becky’s, Gene is at Alex’s, and Louise is at Jessica’s. And Bob and Linda had decided to go out and paint the town red, or like a salmon, maybe. Like a darker shade of pink. This morning, Bob had thought staying up until midnight two nights in a row might actually kill him, but he’s fine now. He can die tomorrow, maybe, but he’s not dying right now, so it’s not bad, actually.

“Hey wait a minute,” says Linda, bringing Bob back to the present. “Why am I in front here? Why are we at the door?”

Bob looks up over her head. Yeah, that’s definitely the door to their apartment

Bob frowns. “You said… I think you said you had the house keys. We were going home, but I couldn’t find mine…”

Linda gasps again. “ _Did_ I? Oh my God, I _did!_ I did say that!”

Bob snorts and buries his face back in her hair. “Do you not?”

“No!” Linda replies, sounding more amazed than confused. “I thought _you_ had them!”

“I don’t!” says Bob before he starts cackling. Linda splutters for a minute before the familiar sound of her drunken laughter joins his.

“It’s… we should have… It’s okay,” Linda finally manages. “We should have one of those, those key things.”

“A key ring?” Bob asks, wrinkling his face in confusion.

“No, one of those hidey things, you know?” says Linda. “Like a fake rock! Or a fake brick or a fake plant, and it goes… and you put your key inside of it, and – ”

“Ohhhhh,” says Bob, catching her drift. “Yes, yes!”

“Like rich people have,” says Linda.

“Rich people love those,” Bob replies. “Putting their, their little things inside of other secret things.”

“They’re cheap, though,” Linda says. “We should get one of those.”

“We should,” Bob agrees. “We should get one right now.”

Linda gasps again. “Oh my God, let’s!”

They don’t move. Ocean Avenue is quiet. Bob tries to be quiet too, but he remembers the house keys again and starts snickering into the back of Linda’s head. Maybe it feels funny, or maybe she knows what he’s thinking about too, because it’s only a matter of seconds before Linda starts laughing again, too. They stand there, giggling in the night amid the streetlights and the lightly swirling snow.

“I’m cold,” says Linda at last. “Are you cold? It’s cold out here.”

Bob wraps his arms fully around Linda, hugging her close. “There,” he says. “There you go. That’s… for you.”

“Thank you, Bobby,” Linda says softly, patting the side of his head again.

They stand there for another minute before Bob feels Linda shiver. “Should we go… we should go inside?” he asks.

“Right!” says Linda. “Yes! … Do you have the keys?”

Bob frowns. “ _Do_ I have the keys?” He reaches down with his right hand to fish around in his coat pocket, and his fingers fumble across something cool and metal. “Oh! Yes! I do!”

“Yay!” Linda cheers. She reaches back to put some space between their bodies, then moves over to the right side of the door jamb. “Now hurry up, I’m freezing!”

“Okay, okay,” Bob says. He focuses very hard on getting the right key in the lock, but he gets it open on the first try. He lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding when Linda jumps.

“Oh no!” Linda exclaims, and Bob whips around to look at her. Her face has fallen, and she shouldn’t look that sad, ever. That’s not right, Bob thinks.

“But we were going to go dancing!” Linda says with a pout. “I just remembered. We were going to do it.”

“Oh,” says Bob, remembering that conversation. “That’s right. But we can go… inside… and dance… here?” It doesn’t make a lot of sense in his head, but if he can get the words out in the right kind of order, maybe Linda will know what he’s talking about.

She must since she immediately starts clapping. “Yay, Bobby, I love it!” she exclaims, bouncing on her feet before bouncing into the small hall at the foot of the stairs. “It’s a Bob and Linda dance party, dance party, yeah!”

“Woo, yeah!” Bob says, following after her. “That’s right! We’re gonna… gonna dance all night long.” He locks the door behind him, then turns to stifle a yawn against his arm.


	7. let’s get lost until we’re found (again and again)(Tina/Becky)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First posted [on Feb. 9, 2021](https://daddygrandpaandthebeaver.tumblr.com/post/642695942466846720/ficlet-lets-get-lost-until-were-found-again)
> 
> I gave myself the prompt "things you said after it was over" because I think Minty Lewis is neat and Tina/Becky needs more ship content.
> 
> Title from Aura Dione's "Friends"

“You’d think we’d learn, but we really don’t, huh?”

Becky drags the French fry she’s holding through the puddle of ketchup on her plate, drawing a little heart in the sauce. “I mean,” she continues, “I knew it was coming _this time_ because we had the date at his dad’s restaurant, and that’s… a sign.”

“Definitely a red flag,” Tina agrees. She’s doesn’t actually mind so much. Sure, it means Jimmy Jr. isn’t going to put a lot of effort into the evening, but also means she can just walk across the street and go to bed when things start going bad.

Becky had a similar idea, apparently. Minus the bed part, obviously. But when she’d walked into Bob’s Burgers about half an hour ago and sat down at the counter, Tina recognized that it was Becky’s turn to be stupid. It was Becky’s turn for a lackluster date from their favorite Huxley bad boy, and it was cute that she’d come to Tina’s dad’s place to drown her sorrows. In ketchup, apparently.

That said, Becky is wrong about neither of them learning from their past mistakes. Tina has. Tina _does_ know better this time. At sixteen, she’s practically an adult. She has a plan. A presentation of sorts. She’s been thinking really hard, writing a lot of friend fiction. Tina knows how to make things better this time. 

“So, Becky,” Tina starts, leaning across the counter. “I have… kind of a proposal for you.”

“Oh?” says Becky. She looks at Tina with raised eyebrows, which Tina recognizes as her listening face. She’s very good at those.

“Right,” says Tina. “So as you’ve noticed, there’s this weird triangle happening with us and Jimmy Jr. – ”

“And like twelve other girls,” Becky grumbles.

“Right,” says Tina. “Wait, _twelve_ other girls? Never mind, we’re skipping that. We’re just… ignoring that for now. But there’s you and there’s me, and we’re both dating Jimmy Jr. Or trying to. Separately.”

“Okay,” says Becky.

“So what I’m proposing is, um…” Tina wipes her hands off on her apron below the counter, where Becky can’t see. Oh god, this was a lot easier on paper. “Is what if… you and me cut out the middle man, so to speak?”

Becky’s listening face crumbles into a confused face. “What?“

“Um,” Tina starts again. “So you and me – ”

“Are dating Jimmy Jr.,” says Becky with an understanding nod.

“Right,” says Tina, then, “Wait, I’m confused. Let me just… start over. So we’re dating – ”

“You and me?” Becky asks, her eyebrows shooting up.

“I mean, kind of?” says Tina. “I mean, we could be, is what I’m saying. If you wanted to. We could just go out on a date sometime. Without Jimmy Jr. The two of us. On a date. A romantic date.”

“Oh,” says Becky, still looking confused. “We can do that?”

“Yes,” Tina replies.

“Oh,” Becky says again. The confused face becomes a thoughtful face, which slowly becomes just a plain old smile.

“Okay,” Becky says, looking the happiest she has all night. “Sure, I think I’d really like that, Tina.”

“Great,” says Tina, sagging in relief. She puts a hand on the counter to steady herself and almost slips. “Oh that’s… a lot of sweat. Sorry. Wow.”

“It’s okay,” Becky replies. She grabs the nearest napkin holder and starts pulling some tissues out. She hands them over to Tina. When she reaches out to take them, Becky holds her hand and doesn’t let it go. The napkin crinkles in between their palms.

“I think I like this,” Becky says after a few seconds of hand-holding.

“Y-yeah?” Tina asks. She feels like she’s blushing, which feels silly. “Well, you should see what else I can do on a date. I mean, to woo you. I have a lot of practice.”

“I bet,” Becky says before Tina can kick herself in the face. Becky’s still smiling, but her voice has gone super soft. “You’re so cool, and you’re so pretty. I can’t believe you want to go out with me.”

“Are you kidding me?” asks Tina. “ _You’re_ so cool and pretty! And interesting, too! I can’t believe you agreed to go out with me.”

“Yeah,” Becky replies. “I think we were both wasting our talents on other guys. This is going to be fun, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Tina reassures her. “It will be.”


End file.
